Automatic gravity-conveyer.



S. HEDRAIN.

AUTOMATIC GRAVITY UONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.22,1908.

91 4,832. Patented Mar. 9, 1999.

W1 TNESSES; 11v VEN T013.

ATTORNEY.

STEN HEDRAIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC GRAVITY-CONVEYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 9, 1909.

Application filed September 22, 1908. Serial No. 454,267.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEN HEDRAIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have inventedAutomatic Gravity-Conveyers, of which the following is a specification.

My nvention is related to gravity and power driven conveyers operated totransfer packages from the various departments of a store or factory toone central point, and consists in providing a main line track from themost distant point to the shipping room, or otherwise. Branch tracksfrom each department are constructed from any room to intersect the mainline. The various lines are erected with an incline of sufficient gradeto cause the apckages hen the pac a e or carrier reaches theintersection, it wil be automatically transferred to the maintrack andmove on to its destination. I

Therefore, the objects of my invention are, 1st to provide an automatictransferring device at the intersecting points, dispensing with the handlabor now required at those places; 2nd, .to provide a less expensivesystem of gravity conveyers than those now in use. I attain theseobjects by a mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which-Figure 1 is a plan view track D, intersecting track B, rollers a a, andtransferring frame C. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal side view of the branchtrack showing the tilting section of the track A, and packages (1 d inprocess of being transferred to main track; also a vertical end view ofthe main track D is shown with the transferring frame 0 elevated toreceive the package (1, and the mechanism actuating the transferringframe. Fig. 3 is a front view of one half of the bracket, 0 showing theslots therein. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the bracket 0 and bellcrank 0 in detail.

Similar character's refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the system of conveyers a main track D is constructed from anyshowing the main herein shown part a new and useful Improvement in tomove by gravity.

of the plant, consisting of a suitable frame a of any material, havingtransverse independent rollers a, set at a suitable distance from eachother; all tracks are built with an incline of about one half inch tothe foot, more or less, to be governed by the class of goods to becarried down; at any required point the main track may be connected witha branch track, at any angle.

At the point where the branch track intersects the main track, atransferring frame consisting of a series of bars, C C C Fig. l, islocated between the rollers 11; the bars are somewhat wider than therollers and are bolted to each other, forming the frame. The frame isthen pivoted to the outer rail of track D at 0 the inner end of two ofthe bars rest on the arms of bell cranks, 0 Fig. 2the cranks are fixedto osts supporting the track. A vertically sliding bracket 5 is attachedto the face of the inner rail of track D having slots in each end; thebell cranks (0 are connected with the frame in the ordinary way.

The branch track B consists in a similar frame having transverse rollersa, a short section A is suspended near its center on a pivot A", thewhole section is supported by an A shaped post A and may be tilted up.or down; the upper end is made heavier than the other, and remains on aline with the stationary track when in position to receive a package.The inner ends of the side rails of the tilting section rest on theslidable bracket 0 the outer arms of bell cranks C are placed in theslots in the ends of the slidable brackets, adapted to actuate thetransferring frame.

In operation a package having been placed on the branch track, gravitywill propel it downward passing on to the tilting section when thepackage has passed the fulcrum A the added weight willcause the sectionto tilt down and set the bell cranks in motion, thus elevating thetransfer bars to position to receive the package; as soon as the packageis on the bars they will be depressed to a nor mal position and thepackage will pass on down the main track; if, however, another packageshould be following closely, the upper end of the tilting frame wouldhold it in check until the first had cleared the trans fer bars-shown inFig. 2 d (1. Should a package on the main track reach the transfer pointjust as the branch package was about to pass on to transfer bars; thebar 8* Fig. 1 would be in an elevated position and would thus stop thepackag until the first package had. caused the bars to return to thenormal position, when both packages wouid move down together timeprevent ng any package from blocking any branch or main track.

Having described my invention and its operation, I do not wish toconfine myself to the specific form of the tilting section, as the Ashaped support may be dispensed with and the tilting section may behinged to the stationary track. But Y 5 What I do claim and LettersPatent is:

The combination in an automatic conveyer of the transferring framepivoted to a con- Veyer track, the bell cranks adapted to actu- Wish tosecure by ate the said transferring frame, the tilting section'pivotailysuspended, the vertically slidable bracket adapted to engage saidtilting section, said slidable bracket actuating the bell cranks,substantially as described.

- STEN HEDRAIN. vVitnesses A. W. EVANS, M. E.- GREGG.

